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Dapu Page: Leona Craig Art Gallery |
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 Dapu (Ai Min Zhang; Zhang Ai Min) Bio Dapu (Ai Min Zhang; Zhang Ai Min) received his degree in art from the Henan Zhumadian Art Collage in 1991 and, later, took advanced lessons in modern art development from Li Zheng Tian, the famous artist/dissident/art teacher, at the Guangzhou Fine Arts Academy. Indeed, although he originally painted under the name Yang Zhang, his name, Dapu, meaning without guile, was bestowed upon him by Li Zheng Tian. His career has taken him to the far corners of China. In the early 1990's, he lived in Shenzhen, in the east, just next to Hong Kong, where he befriended a number of Western artists from whom he learned some of his technique. But Dapu had a desire to experience and capture the lives of real people, in China, so, next, he set off for the far west to Xinjiang. In Xinjiang, he worked along side the Uyghur, picking cotton and helping farmers, and he painted landscapes and portraits from that area, most of which have ended up in collections of people from Shanghai. In 2001, he traveled to the Tibetan Plateau, near Qinghai, to capture some scenes from that area of the world. He was so moved by the beauty of that rough and rugged area and the gentle people who live there that he decided to move his family, there, so that he could devote all of his time to producing art, chronicling the area and its peoples. If you have never heard of Dapu before, it is because most of his works are bought directly by collectors, both inside and outside of China, before they ever get to a gallery or an exhibition. |
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Service in English: 086 13632410877 clm@leonacraig.com |
Office/Fax: 086 20 83600764 Guangzhou, China |
Service in Chinese: 086 13632407809 ayu@redhillchina.com |
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| Catalogue Number |
price |
Approximate size | Button | ||||
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608. |
Springtime at Da Ban Shan: original oil on canvas by Dapu
(Zhang Ai Min) 2009 Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) tells us that he passed this mountain scene on his way to paint other scenes, over the last few years, and he always wanted to paint it. Now, he finally has captured it in a beautifully colored and sizable painting, in the early spring of this year, for us. The path leads ones eye from the bottom of the painting to the sheep and, then, to the mountain. The herd of sheep, in the foreground, are done in nice detail. It is the end of winter, and spring is just beginning, so, the bright colors of the season are only just starting to emerge, and the painting gives a slightly dark feel, as nature shakes off the dullness of winter, on the backside of the Himalayas. The trees and shrubs are still partly bare, and the mountains, in the background, just beginning to come to life and done in black and dark green, are striking: the light and shadow give them the illusion of three dimensions. The dark yellows of the grass and dark red of the shrubs, which are just beginning to sprout their new growth, make for a nice overall color balance. It has the sweeping grandeur of paintings by German artists, like Bierstadt or Hengsbach, especially, with the boldness of the dark mountain confronting us, something that traditional Chinese art theory would condemn. But it has a softer, more impressionist style. |
$5,900 | 150x130cm | |||
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141. |
Ta'er Temple: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang), 2009 Located in Qinghai Province, also, home of the artist, on the Tibetan Plateau, Ta'er Temple was the birthplace of Sumatikirti (Tsonkhapa in Tibetan), founder of the Gelukpa Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It's first structure was built in 1379 and the temple, one of the six major temples of Gelukpa Buddhism, was built during the Ming Dynasty. The inverted bowl dagoba tower, a typical motif of Buddhist architecture and the focal point of the painting, is one of a number in the temple complex. A monk is seen walking through the complex, guiding our eye to other details. A Bo tree, the sacred tree of Buddhism, frames the scene from the right. The colors are vibrant but cool, and there is much impasto and other detailing that combine to make this painting so special. Dapu said he painted the scene at dusk in the winter time to try to capture the mystreious feeling of the temple complex. |
$1000 | 50x60cm | |||
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197. |
Cattle Herders: Oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang), 2009 Called haoniu, in Chinese, these sturdy, shaggy, big-horned cattle are found only in the Himalayas, above 3,000 meters above sea level. The scene is in the fall when the grasses are turning to hay. In the center, a Tibetan cowboy rides his horse towards the tent-homestead where a woman greets him. The Tibetan Plateau rolls through the center of the painting, and mountain ranges frame of the background. It is a beautiful, colorful scene of life in the Himalayas, reminding me of the colors of some of the early impressionists. Dapu told us that he wanted to capture this scene, in the fall, so that he could make it bright. He also tells us that it is the end of the season for cattle at higher altitudes and that the herders move down the mountain for the winter. |
$1,200 | 72x54cm | |||
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606. |
Soaring Hawks: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Zhang Ai Min), 2009 The practice of writing Indian Buddhist sutras on banners, which legend attributes to Shakyamuni Buddha, was transmitted to other regions, and came to Tibet about 1,000 years ago. Today, they decorate mountain ridges and high peaks, in the Himalayas. They come in five colors, denoting the five elements, and they have wood-block prints of prayers and images. These long ones are called lung ta, in Tibetan, meaning wind horse, and are hung in high places so that their blessing may be carried on the wind, which is purified by their words. Dapu wanted to capture the image of the howling wind in the Himalayas, in this painting, which he has done, not only with the prayer flags, but also with the clouds, the grass and the soaring hawks. |
$1,400 | 80x65cm | |||
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641. |
Gesang
Flowers of the Fields: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Zhang Ai Min)
2009 This is an at-home family portrait of the Zang nomad sheep and cattle herders who roam the Tibetan Plateau and of whose lives Dapu has painted a number of paintings. The Gesang flower is a hardy flower that grows on the Tibetan Plateau and can withstand the howling winds and heavy downpours. This sizable painting has been chosen for a book celebrating the 60 year anniversary of the Peoples Republic of China. With their home, in the background, a cow grazing, in between, herds of cattle and sheep, off in the distance, and hawks soaring, in the sky, it is a beautiful piece of social commentary about the simple lifestyle of the Zang nomadic herders on the Tibetan Plateau, today. Although the older women are dressed in traditional clothing and jewelry, the family motorcycle and the dress of the children shows that the modern world is gradually mixing into their lives. Yet the realistic style shows the carefree and happy demeanor of these gentle peoples who follow their herds around the plateau: the flowers of the fields of the north side of the Himalayas. We have seen other paintings of beautiful girls from the area, but we like this one so much more for its honest and beautiful portraiture of the real people who live in and off the land. |
$7,500 | 150x130cm | |||
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165. |
Haystack and Cow: original oil on canvas by Dapu (2008) Life in the Himalayas can be harsh, but the end of winter is cause for celebration. In this painting, Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) has captured a scene of a cow tied to a log, resting by a mound of hay. It is the end of the winter, so, snow is still melting on the ground. In the background, we see people out and about the old rural town: walking, sitting, conversing, and enjoying the thaw. Dapu is one of the few artists who have taken it upon themselves to chronicle life in the high-mountain regions around Tibet. He tells us that living there is like moving back in time. Life is simple, the air is thin, the weather is harsh, but we appreciate that he, like Gauguin, has chosen to move to a beautiful and pristine area of the world to bring us art from such wonderful setting that most of us would, otherwise, never get a chance to experience. This is one of two haystack paintings in our collection: the other is a smaller painting of haystack and mountain by Meng Liu. Dapu is a newer artist who we have recently added to our collection and our gallery. |
$1,400 | 82x66cm | |||
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142. | The Herders: original oil on canvas by Dapu
(Ai Min Zhang) Dapu, aka Ai Min Zhang, is an up-and-coming artists, so it is an opportune time to buy his works. His mentor is the famous painter-philosopher Zheng Tian Li, who gave him his name, which means "without guile", and his style is like that of a young Guang Zhi Zhang. Dapu, moreover, has moved to Qinghai, in the mountains next to Tibet to chronicle the life and natural scenic beauty of the area. Indeed, not many artists have dared to venture into the high-altitude of that area, much less lived there, so paintings of the area are relatively rare. We especially loved this painting because of its balance and the unusual pose of the herder girl, in the foreground, which reminds us, a little, of dancers in a Degas painting. Her simple, yet colorful, native clothing makes her stand out against and complement the colors of the background, and the colors of the wild flowers help to fix our attention on her. One little lamb looks on, curiously, as the herder goes about her work, in the field, and it is a wonderful expression on his face. He also helps to lead our eye back to the center of the painting where a larger flock of sheep acts to anchor the center and to lead our eye back around to the other details. Behind the flock, on the right, a woman stands by the tents in which the herders live, while following their flock around the mountains, and the details include laundry strung up on lines of rope. There are cattle resting in front and more sheep to the side, and in the far background at the base of the mountain, on the left, is the remainder of the herd. In sum, it is a wonderful painting and shows the potential of this young artist who we discovered at a recent art event. We believe this this artist's work has great potential for appreciation, as he is gifted, yet relatively undiscovered. |
$1,200 | 46x62 cm | |||
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177. |
Returning Home: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) 2007 This is a wonderful scene of a mother and child returning home at the end of the day. We see them just about to round the corner among ruined buildings and walls in this old rural town, on the border between China's Qinghai province and Tibet. We can imagine that it is a bright sunny day, in this mountainous region on the back side of the Himalayas, since we see brightly lit building facades. It appears to be the fall since the trees are bare, and there is an old bird's nest atop the large tree in the foreground. We can also imagine the harshness of the environment, as buildings and walls are ruined, yet still in use. This painting is representative of Dapu's art, and he likes it so much that he has put it on the front of a brochure depicting his work, chronicling life in the high-mountain region around northern Tibet, over the last decade. Even though his mentor, the famous painter-philosopher Zheng Tian Li has tried to convince him to return to the big city and to produce art that is more in line with that which is commercially popular among certain Chinese art collectors, Dapu has chosen to be true to himself and to remain in that isolated region of the world to capture its beauty, in paintings for those of us who appreciate good art, not commercial drivel. It is a reason that this fine artist has remained relatively undiscovered except by a few collectors from the mainland and Taiwan and by a few galleries, including ours and one in Shanghai. We appreciate his sacrifice, his genuineness, and the beautiful art that he brings us, and we hope that you will, too. |
$1,700 | 80x65cm | |||
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152. |
The Fall: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) (2006) Dapu has experimented with a number of techniques, in his paintings. This one is pure impressionist. It is an impression of foliage, afire with the colors of fall. It is reminiscent of some of the scenes or parts of scenes of fields from the early Impressionists. It is comprised of brushstrokes of orange, green, yellow, blue, and brown, representing a small forest with its leaves and plants falling to the ground to blanket it with the colors of fall. A few splashes of paint, here and there, even give it a slightly modern art look. It is an interesting piece, in a style with which Dapu is currently experimenting. This painting was done in 2006 before Ai Min Zhang took the name, Dapu, and was, at that time, painting with the "pen" name, Zhang Yang. |
$1,000 | 70x50cm | |||
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176. |
Slicing Lamb: original oil painting portrait by Dapu (Zhang Yang) 2006 In this painting, we are looking over the shoulder of a boy, who is of the Zang people, while he is slicing off pieces of lamb to eat as a snack. He wears the traditional long rolled-ip hair with a bright red head band and a hoop earring in his ear. It is s simple, yet beautiful portrait with its soft pastel colors framing the dark hair and skin of the boy. It is an interesting portrait, done as though the artist quickly captured the boy's private action, unaware that he was being observed. We have seen a number of sides of Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) with varying artistic technique and composition of his paintings. In fact, this one was done, in 2006, under the name Zhang Yang before his mentor, the famous painter-philosopher Zheng Tian Li, named him Dapu. We believe that Dapu has great potential as an artist, and, having recently discovered him, we are adding his work to our gallery and our collection. |
$350 | 30x40 | |||
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190. |
Modern Tibetan Man: oil painting portrait by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) He wears his hair long but neat. He has traditional beaded and braided headband on underneath a more fanciful modern cowboy hat. He is a modern man from the Tibetan Plateau, in the region around the border between China and Tibet. He looks rather dapper with his hat tilted on his head, and he exudes self-confidence. It is a very nice portrait painting by Dapu, and it is a good representation of the so-called Zang minority people who live in the region. Indeed, it has the look of a portrait of an American Indian, and it reminds us that those first Americans came from this part of the world. It also reminds us of a portrait of a Zang man by Jian Bai Xu that we also have available, in the Leona Craig Catalogue Art Gallery. The brushwork is wonderful, the colors are bright and beautiful, and Dapu has not let us down with this display of his talent in portraits. Dapu is a talented, relatively undiscovered artist who we recently discovered and who displays talents in a number of venues and styles. He is honing his talents by exploring life on the border between China and Tibet, and he has brought us some wonderful, expressive chronicles of life, from there, in his paintings, which show thoughtfulness, in their topics, and ability, in their presentation. |
$500 | 40x50cm | |||
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146. |
Snow Village: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) 2008 This is a wonderful painting (see hyperlink for a better view) of a village on the Tibetan plateau, in the winter with a little snow. A woman is walking down a path to the village followed by a little lamb. Crows fill the air on the left and the village fills most of the background. It must be spring, as the snow is partly melted, and Dapu tells us that he can only paint in the spring, summer, and fall, as the temperatures on the Tibetan plateau region are much too cold, in the winter, to be outdoors painting and there are tons of snow. Dapu is a newer, relatively undiscovered artist whom we have recently discovered for inclusion, in the Leona Craig Catalogue Art Gallery. He brings us wonderful paintings from the area around the border between China and Tibet. This is one of his larger paintings at 150 by 80 cm. |
$2,500 | 150x80cm | |||
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Wetlands of the Yellow River: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min
Zhang ) This small piece show some of Dapu's true talent, as an artist. It is a beautifully done scene of wetlands in a canyon carved by the Yellow River. It is done in a more careful, more realistic style that makes you feel like you are there. The delicate grasses poking up through the water are so well painted, and the reflections in the water look so real. Dapu is an up and coming artist who is relatively unknown except to a few private collectors from the mainland and Taiwan, and we are happy that we, too, now have discovered him for our collection and for the Leona Craig Catalogue Art Gallery. |
Sold | 40x35cm | ||||
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Old Woman: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) (2005) Portraiture is the true text of an artist's abilities. In this portrait of an old woman, bent with age but still with a smile on her face and light in her eyes, Dapu shows that he can convey emotion through his art. It also reminds us of several portraits by Jian Bai Xu that we have in the Leona Craig Catalogue Art Gallery. |
Sold | 60x50cm | ||||
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Nostalgia: original
oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) Motorbikes are the mainstay of Chinese personal transportation (after the bicycle), many with three wheels, like the one shown tooling down the dirt road, in this nostalgic scene. In this painting, Dapu demonstrates yet another style: less impressionistic, more realistic. It is a beautiful story-piece about life, today, in the area of the Tibetan plateau. The colors are soft and inviting, and the scene with its sunshine is joyous. Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) is an up and coming artist who is still relatively undiscovered except by Leona Craig and a few savvy collectors from both the mainland and Taiwan. We believe that all of the works that we offer by him, in the Leona Craig Catalogue Art Gallery, are extremely good buys, given the talent and potential of this undiscovered artist. |
Sold | 130x90cm | ||||
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Thick Earth: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai
Min Zhang) This is a beautiful piece. It is not only a good picture of the beautiful landscape scenes in the Tibetan plateau region, but it is also a well done work of art. We like the way the shafts of sunlight can be seen coming though the clouds. We also like the sheep, grazing on the ledge of the canyon. It is a bright but moody painting. The light is coming through the clouds, but the presence of the clouds might suggest some bad weather is in the offing. |
Sold | 80x65cm | ||||
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Farming: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) In this painting, Dapu uses the style of the older Impressionists, a style with which he is experimenting, of late. The man's back is done with arches of color, reminiscent of a paintings by Van Gogh or Lautrec. The field is done in purple with the mounds of dirt represented by arches of black. Ahead of the cattle, you can see the impression of the man's shadow. It is an interesting piece, in a style that is not the normal style of Dapu, but it shows the range of his talent. |
Sold | 50x40cm | ||||
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Fall harvest: original oil on canvas by Dapu (Ai Min
Zhang) One of the main vehicles people, in China, use as a light-duty work vehicle is like the one shown, in this picture of harvesting. The vehicle is somewhere between motorcycle and truck. It has the engine mounted on the front over the wheels and it steers with handlebars. A man guides a hand-plough, which is connected to the rear of the vehicle, replacing the traditional horse or oxen, as depicted in other paintings of this area on the border of China and Tibet. The painting is done in a more realistic style, and it is truly one of Dapu's better works. |
Sold | 120x80cm | ||||
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The Cook: original oil on canvas by Dapu In China, electric stoves are virtually unheard of: electricity and electric stoves are expensive, while gas and simple gas burners are cheap. In the outer reaches of China, isolated from the modern world, even gas for cooking is scarce, so people do it the old-fashioned way with pots and pans on an open fire. Dapu (Ai Min Zhang) has captured this simple act, brilliantly, in this portrait. The flames lick upward, the heavy smoke billows through the pile of branches and, then, is whisked upward by the frenzied skyward race of the flames. All the while, the cook calmly tends to her daily task. It shows a slice of daily life of the Uyghur minority who live in the areas around Xinjiang, in Western China. It is traditional of the women, in this particular area, to wrap their hair with that type of bandana. It also reminds me of life at the internationally-recognized 18th century country inn that I created in the 1990's. It had a large walk-in cooking fireplace with racks and cranes for heating pans and oven pots. We used to use the fireplace to cook winter holiday dinners for our guests, and it was quite enjoyable to cook, in such a manner. |
Sold | 50x60cm | ||||
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